Writing Advice Roundup: Video Games

Writing advice

May 24

I’m doing something I usually don’t do in these roundups: offering my OWN advice! I’m often asked how to get started in game writing and narrative design, so I figured I ought to pick my own brain for a change and share some general advice.

I’ll start with the top three things you’ll need to do when you’re starting out. Most people don’t like hearing these because they require so much work and offer no guarantee of success. If there were some secret handshake I could share instead, I would.

Practice the thing you want to do (and since you’re here, I’m assuming it’s writing) and showcase it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a full-blown platformer or a text-based adventure in Twine. I cannot recommend enough that you participate in a game jam, in which you and other aspiring/junior game devs create a small game. It’s a great way to practice your cross collaboration skills (and speak to them in your portfolio and interviews). Check out Global Game Jam if you’re new to this—-but there are tons of game jams out there. In sum, create things to the best of your ability and then display them in a portfolio. Bonus points for describing your process for each piece in your portfolio.
Research specific roles you want and consider how you would fulfill them. And by “research” I don’t mean scouring the first couple of pages on a Google search. Polish your LinkedIn profile, find people fulfilling the roles you would love to have some day (or the hiring managers for those roles), and send them a polite request to connect. Do: Have specific questions to ask. If you ask generic and vague questions, you’ll get generic and vague answers. Don’t: Harass potential contacts if they don’t respond. We’re all busy and sometimes. As much as we’d love to help out new game devs, we might not have the space (or spoons). Don’t take it personally. Just keep looking for new contacts.
Network. Find out where game devs hang out, whether that’s in your hometown or on a Discord server. Servers you can start with are The Design Den, Narrative House, and GameDev SG. Attend conferences (both virtual and in person) like the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and PAX. If you can manage it, serving as a Conference Associate at GDC can go a long way in building your network.

Now, on to some more granular advice for when you start building your portfolio. Practice writing:

Stories with only dialogue. Yes, video games have visual cues, sound effects, and immersive play, but the narrative alone should speak volumes between the lines and give the player plenty of information about the plot, characters’ relationships, and the characters themselves. Don’t hit your reader over the head with exposition through dialogue, but don’t leave too much to the imagination either.

Non-linear stories. Narratives can go in any number of directions. You might be inspired to design infinite sprawling stories with no true “main story” in your game—but I strongly suggest you start simple and master writing in diamonds first. Craft a main story with branches that are more like detours. They should all reconnect seamlessly to the main story at some point. Once you’ve got that down, then you can consider multi-layered narratives.

Concisely and with active voice. Games have limited text boxes and players don’t want to scroll endlessly through rambling copy. When in doubt, clip as many words as possible. If it sounds dry after that, add words back in with judicious consideration.

Crafted dialogue. Word choice is king. Go easy on yourself if you feel like your dialogue is getting repetitive; if you pay close attention to how we speak in real life, our daily vocabulary is kind of limited. There are obvious exceptions for verbose characters with expansive vocabularies (like Captain Barbossa or Laszlo Cravensworth). But for the most part, you can test out your dialogue by speaking it out loud and judging how natural it sounds. Advanced practice: Consider each character’s background and regional dialect to really fine-tune their word choices.

Technical writing. Most writers either love or loathe writing descriptive text for skills and items, but if you plan on becoming a video game writer, you’d best put some practice in. Keep it simple, clear, and concise. Leave no room for ambiguity, or you’re going to have some angry players writing scathing reviews about your game’s misunderstood rules and mechanics. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun playing around with tone, style, and voice.

Without memes, pop culture references, or trendy vernacular. The goal is to create an immersive experience for the player. Whatever is trending now might not be trending by the time your game launches. Years from launch when new players pick up your game, it might date your narrative in a bad way or come off as lazy and repetitive. Practice writing timeless text as a foundation. If it works with your narrative, you might sneak in some easter eggs (see: FF14), but you’ll want to design a set of style rules for how, when, and what to use. Focus on your own universe first with in-game vernacular and inside jokes. Here is a fantastic break down of what I mean.

With UI elements in mind. As a game writer, you may be in charge of UI text (think menus, guides, transition screens and the like) and tasked with including UI tags throughout. It helps to familiarize with common game UI elements.
According to a story stack. Even narrative-driven games are not ruled by narrative; it’s just one of its defining and most marketable elements. Story is the most flexible part of a game, so be ready to pick apart your work and rebuild it from time to time. Watch this video starting at 51:30 where Jesse Schell gives a detailed explanation at GDC. (Keep in mind that while the story stack is my favorite way of tackling game narrative, it’s not for everyone. But it’s still a great method to learn!)

Alright, enough from me. Here are some other great resources.

Course

The Narrative Department’s Game Writing Masterclass

Podcasts

Video Game Writing Podcast

Writing Excuses 7.36: Writing Gaming Fiction with Monte Cook

Writing Excuses 11.05: Writing and World Building for Role Playing Games

Writing Excuses 12.21: Narrative Bumper Pool with Bill Fawcett and Carrie Patel

Writing Excuses 12.42: Adapting Your Stories for Game Play with Alan Bahr

Articles

So You Want to Write for Video Games?

How to Write a Good Video Game Story